Write a review

Go to business site

John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.33 (882 reviews)

View other John Lewis products

1.32

Based on 882 reviews, last reviewed 12th Nov 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

75% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

had a partnership card for years now. had a partnership card for years now. love the rewards vouchers on spends and the points you are awarded for using their credit card which i normally ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th June 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

Lost my £3000 payment to my Partnership card Lost my £3000 payment to my Partnership card through their app for 2 weeks, causing much stress and many phone calls trying to get my money back - as ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th November 2025

Read all reviews See your review

About this product

Read our John Lewis Finance Partnership Card reviews to help you to find out about the pros and cons of taking out the Partnership credit card. What kind of features does the John Lewis Partnership card have? What do people think of John Lewis' customer service? Does the card have great benefits?

Find out more about the Partnership card by reading our reviews from the Smart Money People community - people like you. You can also write your own John Lewis Partnership Card review to share your own experiences.

Smart Money People is the UK's leading financial services review and insight hub. Together, we can make financial services work better for everyone.

John Lewis Partnership Card reviews (882)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership Card:

JLP and Newday in cahoots.

Told I'm ineligible - despite >50 years loyal JLP customer, 5 figure credit limit and score excellent - I have after communications with JLP managers concluded that this oust has been orchestrated by JLP. From sources including JLP and Newday websites,, I speculate: JL stores are in financial difficulty, currently supported by Waitrose itself on the brink. It’s not that JLP doesn't want higher spending loyal customers, it sure does; but what it wants is custom that doesn’t sap profits.    With the HBSC JL Partnership card, each £1 spent qualifies for a point, whose number depends upon whether spent at JL and/or W or elsewhere. The more elsewhere the less JLP gets the more it costs JLP. I think it used to be one point for every £1 spent in JLP, two for every £1 elsewhere. Nowadays for some eligible purchases at JL and W 5 points for every £4 spent; and for other eligible purchases at JL and W 1 point for every £4; 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. Fewer vouchers for spending elsewhere is not a deterrent. For example, if a card-holder with £5,000 credit limit spends £4000 a month elsewhere then JLP issues vouchers. Vouchers can only be used in JL or W but it doesn't follow the purchase price has to exceed the vouchers value. A cardholder could amass a substantial sum in vouchers without having spent a penny at JL or W. When using vouchers to buy in JL or W not have to buy anything involving any extra payment for the difference between the vouchers and price. JLP would make a loss. JLP says that over the last five years £230m has been issued in vouchers. How much of approximately £126,000 a day average has gone to customers that haven't paid JLP anything. By enlisting Newday to either render higher credit limit existing Partnership cardholders ineligible or where the applicant is eligible a substantially lower limit JLP is reducing the value of vouchers issued. JLP is probably getting a share of any interest paid by new card-holders and paying a lower commission on receivables (transaction sales). JLP I suspect envisages that where an existing Partnership cardholder is rejected that person would obtain a desired credit limit from another card provider and continue to buy from JL/W whenever. Whether enough existing Partnership cardholders would want to continue loyal to JLP is a separate issue. A JLP partner qualifying for discount told me that for most goods and services there are cheaper deals elsewhere. Not a deposit-taker Newday hasn't any revenue beyond credit cards. It borrows to re-lend, loan note interest between 2% and 6+% a year - with interest rates rising costs will go up: for how much longer its business is sustainable is anyone's guess. To finance JLP's transaction, Newday has taken out a loan of £650M. Any cardholder paying the whole balance monthly is getting an interest-free loan from the date of purchase to balance payment date - if you time it carefully then up to 45 days - so for that reason alone an existing JL Partnership cardholder is ineligible. Newday plans to float shares on the stock market next year so boosting the number of cardholders is to impress shareholders. A £5000 credit limit to one card holder (unlikely to pay interest) is akin to £500 limit to 10 card holders (likely to pay some interest). The net proceeds of a stock market float (rumoured capitalisation £2.5Bn) would provide a injection of interest-free cash. The sad part is that JLP could increase its profit margin and number of loyal customers without having to resort to destroying long-term customer relationships with JLP. Instead of the vouchers issued regardless of where a JL Partnership cardholder spends, the vouchers should be linked to the myJohnLewis and myWaitrose cards. Show or scan a my-card before paying and have the voucher value credited to the my-card - and since printing on paper is costly to administer, to issue every JL and W customer a my-card which can be produced by the customer at the check-out for credit and debit with the points/voucher value. Reviewed on: 5th September 2022

Very disappointing...

After 15 years as a happy cardholder, I'll be moving elsewhere. 4 occasions now and the card hasn't worked. Why on earth did JLP move from a recognised bank to a mickey mouse fintech? Reviewed on: 8th November 2022

Why change to New Day and lose credibility?

Had a partnership card for over 30 years, always smoothly. Now New Day are involved and I get a letter telling me my emails are not reaching me. Given log in puts me on a black screen with JOHNLEEISCREITCARD.COM in blood letters with links to credit cards that have nothing at all to do with John Lewis cards. Spelling wrong and looks like it’d been done by a hacker or a child. Lost all confidence cut up my card and rang New Day they are hopeless Reviewed on: 8th November 2022

Not worth having

As others have pointed out, reducing the time between the statement being produced and payment due date from 25 days with the old partnership card to 16 days has made the new card practically unusable. I’ll be switching to another provider after many, many years as a partnership card user. John Lewis is no longer putting its customers first Reviewed on: 7th November 2022

Fine until it. Changed provider to New Day

With the new provider New Day , it has become very badly run: payments are declined as the provided sort code and account number do not work! My card has been refused several times in different shops and on line. When I rang to ask why, no explanation given and offered a new card! You wait at least 15 minutes for a phone response, go elsewhere for a card . Reviewed on: 7th November 2022

M & S is your new friend

NewDay gave me an indicative credit limit which was only 20% of my existing Partnership limit, so I have let the card lapse. I applied instead for an M & S credit card and they gave me my old Partnership credit limit, without being asked. I hope this post helps. Reviewed on: 7th November 2022

John Lewis - changes for the worse

John Lewis moving their credit card partnership to New Day from HSBC is turning into an unmitigated disaster. Unlike the experience of so many reviewers, our transfer to the New Day card was reasonably smooth apart from the avalanche of, mainly meaningless, emails accompanying the event. Then the real problems started. Firstly the reduction in time between the statement date and the due date for payment from 25 days with HSBC to 16 days with New Day which is unreasonable for cashflow planning in this current cost of living crisis. This only serves to damage the John Lewis brand image of a caring, customer focussed organisation. Secondly, the New Day statement says that the payment of the balance can be made by bank transfer. This is currently not possible. I spoke to my bank at the end of September 2022 who advised that they have not been given the necessary details to effect such transfers to the New Day Santander bank account. I then contacted John Lewis customer services about this bank transfer issue and an extremely unhelpful individual stated they said were unaware of a problem and should contact New Day. I spoke to New Day (eventually, after a 40 minute wait) and they blithely stated that they were aware of the issue and were "working with Santander to fix it". As of today they still have not fixed anything which makes me question the competence of New Day as a provider of financial services. I would not risk using their mobile app or setting up a direct debit because of their obvious lack of control. Perhaps it is time for the FCA to review their authorisation. At the same time this also brings into question the competence of John Lewis in moving their card provider from HSBC to New Day to the detriment of so many formerly loyal customers. It feels like part of a deliberate cost cutting policy by Sharon White and her lieutenants which will only serve to wreck the brand. She should either sort out this mess or get out. Reviewed on: 7th November 2022

Appalling

Having read the other reviews on here, I’m now quite glad to have been refused a replacement card despite being a long term loyal customer, spending thousands every year and paying off the balance every month. Very poor decision by John Lewis. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

New card blocked twice for missing a payment for which we have had no notification.

We had the Partnership Card for many years, never missed a payment, always paid in full each month. My husband is the main card holder and I have a second card. Did my Waitrose shop and the pin was ok but the card was declined. Waitrose staff not very helpful. Left my shopping and came home. My husband had to login to the website as my card number was not recognised and they did not have any details for me when I tried. Eventually we found that we had missed a payment that we have had no bill for digitally or otherwise and no reminder texts, emails or notifications? We had already paid the 'old' card up in October. Once we have figured out how, we will pay up the 'new' card and cancel it! No more Waitrose for us. Is this how John Lewis want to loose customers? Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Card blocked twice for no reason

I have an impeccable history with my old John Lewis credit card. Never in debt. Balance paid in full every month. New credit card issued with no quibble. In the first few days my card was blocked by NewDay twice, losing me a supermarket delivery of food each time. A complaint to John Lewis itself results in a bland email saying that my complaint will be passed on to NewDay. What's the point? I'm still waiting for a satisfactoiry explanation from NewDay and their call centre staff don't seem to understand how the system works in the UK. One person told me that if I phoned Sainsburys (what? Another call centre?) he was sure they would understand and "send round some food". No, NewDay staff, once your card is blocked Sainsburys don't pop round with some food. just because they feel sorry for you. I'll be sorry to miss the JL vouchers on each spend but I will be cutting up my JL card and using another one in future. I can't leave the house without help and rely on my online food deliveries. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Transition to NewDay-awful experience

How come JL, having a month’s to prepare transition from old HSBC provider to NewDay not prepared anything well! Obtained credit limit significantly lower than on old card (despite having excellent credit ratings within credit rating agencies) and now I can’t pay using new card at some online shops. More than 40 min waiting time on customer service line is ridiculous!. I know from other reviews some customers hasn’t been accepted for credit card at all. Was really happy with old provider but not at all with the new one. That’s not JL quality at all!! Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Do you have a different John Lewis product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Are you a business? Get insights, reply to reviews, invite customers and understand their needs

Alternative products

Purchase credit cards
from MBNA 2.76 from 196 reviews
Credit Card
from Allied Irish Bank - AIB 3.24 from 6 reviews
Instant pay
from Incredible 5.00 from 28 reviews

Want to see more from John Lewis?

Travel Insurance
from John Lewis 4.75 from 3 reviews
Breakdown Insurance
from John Lewis 4.00 from 1 reviews
Home insurance
from John Lewis 2.08 from 75 reviews

View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub